10 Reasons We Love… ‘DAREDEVIL’

If you’re anything like me, you probably binge on Netflix shows when nothing on the boob tube looks impressive. I’m happy to say that Netflix has continued to feed its viewers delightful entrees of original shows. Netflix is the latest to hop on the superhero bandwagon by revamping the character of Matt Murdock. Some people may already have a natural dislike for the blind comic book crime fighter thanks to Ben Affleck’s portrayal a few years ago, but have no fear! Actor Charlie Cox is successful at presenting the audience with a Daredevil who doesn’t come off as cocky (we’re talking to you, Affleck) but instead is morally torn, self-isolated, and constantly struggling to get back up when the bad guys push him down. If you’re still not convinced by my endorsement, here are 10 reasons you should be watching Netflix’s Daredevil!

1. Deborah Ann Woll

True Blood fans rejoice! Actress Deborah Ann Woll, who played Jessica, brings her “innocent girl gone tough” vibe to the role of Karen on Daredevil. We initially meet “Karen” when she is framed for a murder she didn’t commit. Matt Murdock and his law partner/best friend, Foggy, jump to her aide and a friendship is formed.

2. Vincent D’Onofrio

I cannot praise this actor enough. Although you probably saw him most recently in a small role in Jurassic World, you may have seen him in other roles in the past. He is best known for playing Detective Goren, who had a knack for figuring out psychopaths on Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Vincent D’Onofrio is an actor who manages to bring to life characters with fractured psyches and out-of-the-ordinary viewpoints on the world around them. When you watch him on Daredevil, you’ll see all of the disadvantages his character has had stacked against him, while at the same time witnessing his brutal and destructive nature. Trying to figure out what he’ll do next is one of the great joys of watching the show.

3. Martial art moves that look real and not staged

I honestly don’t know if Charlie Cox does his own stunts or not, but in this case I’m going to venture to say that it doesn’t matter. Too often in Hollywood, actors are “choreographed” in fight scenes, which makes them look more like fancy dance numbers than actual fights. Daredevil is great about not doing that. Matt Murdock’s fight scenes come across as effective, but not precise or overly timed. The impressive scene above is from Season 1: Episode 2. People all over the world raved about it.

4. The show is chock full of symbolism

If you’re a literary nerd like me, you’ll be excited to know that there is a lot of reoccurring symbolism on the show. One example: the villain Fisk buys a painting that looks like a white snowstorm. In my opinion it represents a chaotic “storm” of an existence hidden by a seemingly pure white snow. In other words, Fisk looks like he cares about the city on the outside, but on the inside he’s a man who wants complete and unbreakable control. He’s a bad guy, but his apartment is full of clean white lines and is neat. Meanwhile, Matt a.k.a Daredevil’s apartment is a bit dingy and run down, which I think represents all the bad people and bad things that constantly invade his life.

5. Yes, there is a sidekick

It seems like an essential part of a show’s formula. There just has to be a sidekick who has all of the innocence and goodness that for some reason, the main character doesn’t have. In this case, it’s Foggy. He’s humorous, means well, and has an enormous crush on Karen (while Karen has a crush on Matt, of course). Viewers will have to stay tuned to see if Foggy will win Karen’s heart or if Karen will convince Matt to reciprocate her feelings.

6. Elektra will be in Season 2.

Although I think the show Daredevil is great, it wouldn’t hurt to infuse a little bit of a kick-ass girl power into the mix. Season 2 will introduce us to Elektra Nachios (played by actress Elodie Yung).

7. Jon Bernthal is joining the cast as The Punisher

Can’t wait for The Punisher to have his own TV show? You don’t have to. Netflix is giving us a little taste by having Jon Bernthal play Frank Castle. Many of us have already seen Bernthal’s acting chops in his previous role as Shane on The Walking Dead. I’m very excited to see what he can bring into the role of an anti-hero.

8. Other characters the show could introduce if they wanted

We already know that Matt’s father is deceased, but one episode in Season 1 reveals that Matt’s mother is alive (or at least she was when he was a kid). We find this out when a nun has a discussion with the character Stick. It would be interesting to see Matt interact with his mother and find out why she wasn’t with him when his father passed away.

9. More flashbacks

So far, we’ve seen several flashbacks of Matt when he was a child, but Fisk also has an episode dedicated to flashbacks of when he was a kid. Needless to say, it was a real shocker. Fisk also mentions being sent away to a farm when he was a child and that when he grew up, he felt motivated to return to Hell’s Kitchen in order to fix the city. Something obviously happened to trigger his return. Can fans maybe expect to see a flashback of Fisk’s time on the farm in the next season?

10. Season 2

Daredevil returns for Season 2 in 2016, so you still have time to catch up on Season 1 on Netflix. Enjoy the ride!

Have you watched Daredevil? Do you love it? Take to the comments. Tell me what you agree with and what I missed.